August 2020 Update
Posted Aug. 25, 2020
It goes without saying it’s been an interesting six months dealing with Covid and not just for rally. However like everything in rally we’ve adapted where possible and we’ve still managed to get events running.
Navigational rallies moved to the virtual world with events from Louis, Dennis & Roger, Darin and the upcoming Planes, Trains, Automobiles & Boats organized by Doug Green on September 5.
We’re adding in some traditional on-the-road events with a KWRC SNATR on August 29 and an OPRC & SNATR on September 26.
Rallycross got going again while trying to keep everybody safe. PMSC has had one at a new venue and KWRC has run four days of events since June. PMSC, MLRC and KWRC all plan more events this year; check their websites for more details.
Performance rally and rallysprint have taken a hit mostly due to the inability to get road permissions. Lanark, Black Bear and the whole rallysprint series have been cancelled. However it looks like Rallye Defi, Rallye Charlevoix and Tall Pines will go ahead, albeit in a modified form.
The RSO executive have been working with the various events and have made serious concessions on the event levies in an attempt to give the rallies a more stable financial footing. We’ve refunded all the listing fees from the events that were cancelled.
We were supposed to get a rewrite of the RSO bylaws done this summer but with everything going on it will be a fall project. It’s kind of crazy how there can be so much to do in rally when in theory nothing is happening.
Here are a few updates from around the sport.
-CARS released a letter to the clubs about ongoing negotiations with the new ASN. The ASN’s idea was that all the regional groups (like ARMS, CASC-OR, and CARS) should apply for membership right away and then iron out the details later. CARS has taken the position things like fees and authority over various disciplines need to be worked out first and then the various organizations can decide to affiliate or not.
I expect that will be one of the topics at the CARS AGM in January, which will be held virtually. The federal government has strongly suggested that federal not-for-profits plan on virtual AGMs regardless of what their constitutions say. Not having an in-person AGM will save CARS quite a bit of money, it was one of their bigger expenses of the year.
-CARS have also announced that if they get two national events this year they will consider that good enough to have a championship.
Sup regs for Rallye Defi on Sept. 11-12-13 are out and there is a webpage here. It will be a regional rally, part of the OPRC and ECRC, with 120km of stage and a total of 260km, and include a rallysprint. On the Sunday there will be a rallycross.
Rally Charlevoix plans on going ahead as a national with no spectators, which probably means the in-town stages won’t be run. Their website has been partially updated but there are no regulations out yet.
I know the Tall Pines team is working hard to hold an event. One issue is until the MNR staff stop working remotely they won’t take road permission applications, and the team needs to have the permissions submitted by 1 September. Without MNR permissions they would have to run the event only on township roads which means a lot of rework and possibly a shorter event. They are planning on having two OPRCs. I don’t know if it would be two rounds of the ECRC.
It’s time to start thinking about next year’s calendar, and that’s hard not knowing what’s going to happen with Covid. Perhaps we should formalize our virtual navigationals into a championship or integrate them into whatever navigationals we actually run. There is enough demand for more rallycrosses but we’d need more organizers and venues to do that.
Martin Loveridge
President